Enigma
by Steffikins
Summary: Only one afternoon…. That's all it took for the Lord of the West to become obsessed with the enigma that was Kagome. Not that he'd ever admit it.
1. Chapter 1

**** Disclaimer: Obviously I do not own any of the rights to these characters, or I wouldn't be writing here for free. ;) ****

 **Chapter 1-**

He never feared Death. Truth be told, he saw Death as a business partner of sorts. He would do his part, Death would come and he would leave, knowing his job was done. He rather liked his part as well. In his youth, he was raw, unpracticed, but still had incredible skill. He didn't enjoy it nearly as much then, but now that his skills were honed, his part came easily to him. Never before had he feared Death.

But looking down at the broken body in front of him, even he with so much self-control couldn't stop his shaking hand as he touched her hair. Shock and fear threatened to engulf him as he hesitated, for the first time in his very long life, unsure of what to do next. She wasn't dead, not yet at least, but if he didn't act soon, she would be. He was thankful she was unconscious; the pain she would have been in might have killed her before he could act.

He looked at the other body to his left and the emotion that this fear brought to his eyes left instantly. The rage took its place, a rage he'd never felt before burned in his chest. He was sorely tempted to end that body's shallow breath, but he showed restraint. Never before had he unleashed more than a few well aimed kicks at the little retainer, but then again, never before had the little retainer allowed such an event to occur. He knew that truly, it was not his fault. But when he arrived and saw her, listening to the groveling, he couldn't completely control himself. He knew that one wouldn't die and his eyes turned back to the tiny body in front of him.

Now, he had to do something. He obviously had to find a healer, and soon, or he wouldn't be able to save her. Not this time. A scent wafted by on the breeze and his eyes turned to the tree line. Had he not been so distracted, he would have felt their proximity much sooner. Suddenly, he had a choice. He was far from home and, even running a full speed, he wasn't sure if she'd last the trip. His healers knew her and he knew they'd do everything possible to save her. But could they save her? He didn't know.

The scent wafted by again. It was true; he didn't know much about _her._ But what he did know made him curious. It also made him wonder if she could help, maybe even better than his own healers. And she was closer, the little body in front of him might fare better a trip to her than a trip home. He leaned forward, scooping up the tiny, broken body with his arm. He felt a pull in his chest, as if his soul was attached to hers. He'd never admit it aloud, but he loved her, more than any other being in the world. He wasn't letting her go.

Suddenly decided, he darted into the tree line, sparing no glance at his other retainer. He'd find him once he regained consciousness.

~*~* Chpt1~*~*

She felt it before anyone else. It was massive, strong and coming right for them. Her blood ran cold, heart pounding in her chest and she stood, dropping the pot of water she had been setting on her make shift grill top over the fire. The fire hissed loudly as the water hit it, making her companions jump and stare at her.

"Kagome?" A female voice called to her.

"Oi, wench! What the hell is wrong with you?!" Her gruff male companion no sooner spoke, before sensing the aura approaching fast. "What does that bastard want?" he growled, unleashing is sword. In an instant, her other companions were battle ready and surrounded her as he appeared before them all. "Sesshomaru. What the hell do you want?"

The mighty Lord Sesshomaru ignored his half-brother completely, only fueling the hanyou's fire. He growled and raised his sword, freezing in place when the woman beside him gasped, leaping over the pit and rushing toward, what he was certain was her very death. He allowed the little Miko to approach, noting that there was nothing but fear in her eyes as she looked at the small body cradled in his arm. "Sesshomaru… What happened to her?" She looked up at him with compassion and worry, her scent no longer carrying an ounce of the fear he was accustomed to his appearance creating.

 _Stupid woman, she should fear this Sesshomaru. If I did not need her…_ He briefly imagined ridding himself of this nuisance of a human female once and for all. Normally, when fighting with his brother, she was nothing to take note of. She did pull his father's fang from his grave and has escaped his attempts of melting her many times, but other than her refusal to die, she was simply there. He never gave her much thought. Now, he was irritated that she did not fear him as she should. He looked down as he felt the small body in his arms shudder and he returned his stoic gaze to the woman in front of him.

"You will heal her." Was his reply. A heartbeat later, Inuyasha lost his temper. He hated being ignored.

"Like hell we will! Why should we help you?" His other companions shook their heads at him and smirked as Kagome's soft whisper sent him flying into the dirt. The young kitsune leaned over to admire the crater his body had created. It was a good one and he smiled widely. Inuyasha always got what was coming to him.

The Miko stared at the child in his arm before looking up at him. The tear rolling down her cheek made his stomach plunge into his feet, a feeling he had never experienced. "I… I don't know if I can. She's so… What happened?" She moved to her yellow bag, pulling out her sleeping bag and motioning him to lay her down. As he did, she began digging out her first aid kit. He watched her movements as he looked at his young ward.

"She… Fell." He said, suddenly unable to look at her. He looked at the sky, ignoring the pain in his chest. "You will heal her." He stated again, turning his back to her.

"She fell? From where?" Kagome held her hands over the young girl, her palms softly glowing pink as she tried to assess the damage. Her heart was still racing, her blood still cold. But now, it was not out of fear of a demonic aura, but fear of not being able to save little Rin. Shippo and Sango approached Kagome's side, sitting next to her and watching silently. Shippo sniffed back a tear as he looked at her. Rin was his friend, they had played a few times before and she was like pure, unfiltered sunshine. Much like Kagome, but without the burden of adulthood.

Sesshomaru didn't want to tell her. He didn't want her to know that the small child fell from a cliff. He didn't know why he cared, but a feeling he couldn't identify danced around his stomach when he opened his mouth to try. He bit it back and looked at her with the coldest gaze he could muster. "That is not your concern. Heal her."

His reply did not surprise her. She blinked away the tears that came from looking at Rin and focused again. The child was severely broken. Kagome wasn't sure how she survived whatever happened to her, but she was still taking shallow, ragged breaths. Kagome closed her eyes and dug as deep as she could, pulling any power she could find to her hands. She had never tried to heal anything more than the flesh wounds her friends received in battle. She relied heavily on her first aid kit, which she made sure was always completely full and restocked every time she returned home. She had expected him to ask questions about her strange possessions, but maybe he was too upset to care at the moment. She knew the icy lord was not as completely heartless as he seemed, or he would not be here, demanding she heal the small child under her palms. He made her curious, he was definitely a man who was more than what he seemed.

The glow in her hands brightened and beads of sweat appeared on her forehead and she dug deeper and pushed harder. If she couldn't heal the worst of it, Rin would die. Sesshomaru watched in mild surprise, though his face would never show it. As she pushed herself, he could feel her power growing at a terrifying rate. He never dreamed this little Miko was as powerful as she apparently was. And judging from the look of awe on her friend's faces, he wasn't the only one. Every demon, and half demon, present could feel the tingly of pure holy power on their skin. Inuyasha pulled himself from his hole and stared at her in wonder. They had been traveling together for years now and he'd never felt anything like it from her before. The air hummed with it and even Sango, who couldn't sense holy power, was floored. Miroku smiled widely. He and the elder Miko Kaede had guessed this. Kagome was a well of untapped power; she only had access to a small fraction of it. They even agreed that she could possibly be even more powerful than the great priestess Midoriko, the Miko whose soul made up half of the Shikon Jewel Kagome now hunted and protected.

Kagome pushed herself father than she dreamed possible and though pulling it to the surface was hard, the power came willingly. She could feel herself tiring and grunted as she gave a final pull. The light that emitted from her hands was blinding, causing everyone to cover their eyes. When it stopped, Sango caught Kagome as she fell back, completely exhausted. Sesshomaru could help but move closer, holding his breath. Did she save his young ward?

The tiny body looked somewhat improved. Her arms and legs were straight again, as was her back. She was still battered and bruised as if she had been beaten instead of fallen. His eyes narrowed at the Miko, whose head rested in her friend's lap. "She failed; she has not been completely healed."

"Lord Sesshomaru, if I may… Rin had a lot of damage, both on the outside and, I'm sure, inside as well. It may not look like she did much, but I'm sure Lady Kagome just saved Rin's life." Miroku said, his head bowed. He would always rush to defend a friend, but he also didn't quite like the idea of losing his head to the great Lord of the West.

"Hnn." The lord replied, looking more closely at his ward. She did look a bit less pale as well. He decided to accept the monk's explanation for now and would get more information when the Miko regained consciousness.

The silence was deafening. When Inuyasha could stand it no long, he marched over and stood behind Kagome and Sango. "Well, Kagome healed her. Now you can leave." He grunted, glaring at his elder half-sibling.

"This Sesshomaru will not be going anywhere, little brother." His words dripped in venom. "This Sesshomaru will wait until the Miko awakens and can heal Rin completely."

"OH HELL NO YOU ARENT!" Inuyasha screamed, pulling his sword from his hip again.

"Inuyasha…" Kagome's soft voice startled everyone.

"Are you alright Kagome?" Sango asked, helping her friend sit up.

She flashed a bright smile and nodded. "Yeah, just tired. Over did it, I think." She looked at Rin. "But I think she will survive." She then looked at Sesshomaru. "Listen Sesshomaru, I told you, I don't know if I can save her. If she survives, she might not be exactly the same. I healed what I could inside to keep her alive. She's got some serious injuries in there; I could only get a sense of them with my powers. I wish I had an x-ray or CAT scan machine…" She trailed off, lost in thought. Her last sentence confused everyone around her, but she had been speaking more to herself anyway.

"X-ray? Cat scan machine?" The unfamiliar words fell awkwardly from Sesshomaru's lips and the baritone voice made Kagome realize what she had actually said and to whom she had said it.

"Never mind." She said, hurriedly. "My point is, I'm healing that I can, but she's so broken." She looked back down at the child. "Her brain has some heavy bleeding around it. Normally doctors would do surgery to relieve the pressure, but I hope my healing powers were enough…"

Sesshomaru scowled again. "Doctors?"

Her eyes went wide and she could have slapped herself. "Uh, that's what we call healers where I am from…" She said in a nervous voice. Her eyes went wider when Sesshomaru quirked an eyebrow.

"Where is that?"

"Far from here." She looked back at Rin. "Sesshomaru… She might not be the same… mentally. Especially if she fell from a high place."

His heart dropped into his stomach. Her words made her forget all about how irritated he was that she refused to call him by his proper status or that he had no idea where she was from or if her information was even correct. He also didn't have much knowledge of humans himself, so it was frustrating having to trust blindly. Trust was something he had for very few and he hated giving it so freely. He didn't even know how intelligent this girl actually was. She did choose to stay with his half-breed brother, so he doubted she was all that bright to begin with. The admission that she called healers "doctors" only lead to more suspicion that this girl was just as unintelligent as his brother, maybe more so.

But the idea what Rin wouldn't be the same, that her fall had changed her; it pushed it all from his mind in a millisecond. He thought of the small girl who always had a smile for him, even when he showed her no kindness in return. The girl who laughed and played and made crowns of flowers that Sesshomaru refused to wear, but secretly got great amusement from by allowing her to put them on Jaken instead.

Seeing the slight change in his eyes made Kagome smile. She knew she was the only one to notice it, but it was proof to her that she was right. Underneath his icy, deadly exterior, a father lived who loved his daughter, be she blood, adopted, youkai, human or even hanyou. "I'm not done yet, my lord." She said softly, smiling wider at the momentary look of shock that he instantly hid from view. "I think she is out of immediate danger. Let me rest and I will continue tomorrow."

"Hnn." He turned, sitting down against the tree nearest to Rin.

Taking his reply as agreement, Kagome slowly got up and looked at her friends. "Shall we get ready for dinner? I'm sure you're starving Inuyasha. I'll have to go get more water, Miroku; will you get the fire going again?"

"Yes, Kagome." Everyone began to go about their evening as if the icy demon lord wasn't even there.

Inuyasha gaped at everyone in shock. "He's staying? We are just going to let him stay? Kagome, he's a KILLER. What if this was all a trick to get tetsusaiga? You can't expect me to-"

His words were cut off by a sudden lack of air. In the time it took Kagome to blink, Sesshomaru had crossed the clearing, grabbed Inuyasha by the throat and slammed him against a tree. "How dare you question this Sesshomaru's honor." He snarled, tightening his grip.

"Sesshomaru? Please don't kill him." Kagome moved to their side, reaching for Sesshomaru's arm without thinking. He snarled at her, still holding his brother by the neck. "Please." She said softly, resting her hand on his arm. To everyone's surprise, including his own, Sesshomaru released Inuyasha and went back to his tree.

Inuyasha sat on the ground coughing and staring at Kagome like she had grown a second head. "He could have killed you." He said hoarsely.

"This Sesshomaru should have." The taiyouki said darkly. He wanted to tell her to never even think of touching him again or he would remove her head from her shoulders them moment she was no longer necessary for Rin's health, but something stopped him. Instead he just sent her a deadly glare, his eyes narrow. They narrowed further when she smiled at him.

"I apologize, my Lord." She said, nodding. When he simply "hnn"-ed in response and looked away, she smiled a bit wider. _I know there's so much more to him in there. Maybe some coaxing will bring it out._ She nodded to herself as she picked up her pot to refill with water.

Inuyasha huffed and leaped into a tree where he could keep an eye on Sesshomaru and leap in of he made a single move against any of them. He still believed this was a trick. The cold hearted bastard didn't care about anyone. Inuyasha didn't care what Kagome thought or what Sesshomaru said, that jackass was not above mangling a human child to trick them into letting him stay close until he had a chance to get what he really wanted. Inuyasha's grip on this sword's hilt tightened at the thought.

The night continued on without incident. Rin stirred in her injury induced unconsciousness a couple of times, but she seemed to be stable and not in pain. Kagome hoped she stayed that way, she would hate to see the girl in pain. She decided a cup of tea would do everyone a world of good and brewed a pot, humming softly to herself. As Sesshomaru watched the group carry on, he became more and more confused and annoyed. They seemed to slowly forget his presence, only occasionally noticing him and becoming uncomfortable. It was soon fade again until another would realize he was still present. He was not used to being ignored and apparently distaste for being so was a family trait. His confusion came from Kagome herself. She owned items he had never seen before, made food he had never heard of and he only understood half of the things she said. Both her manner of speech and the words she said bemused him. Not only did she not seem to fear him, or forget he was there, but she seemed actually comfortable in his presence. Sesshomaru did not like being confused and it lit a certain fire in his chest he had never experienced before. He both despised and was enthralled by this woman. He wanted to kill her where she sat, smiling and brewing tea, her eyes shining in the fire's flickering light. Her death would end these new and distracting feelings in his chest. He tried to imagine all the way he could kill her now, all the ways he had tried before, but he inwardly frowned at the feeling the images in his mind created in his chest. It wasn't a pleasant one and he chose to think about something else. He wondered where she was from, why she seemed so very different from every other woman, youkai or human, he'd ever met.

She approached him smiling, offering a cup of tea. He looked at her for a moment, his eyes widening slightly in surprise. It was as if he had been thrown back in time. A young Rin, offering him food and drink, her eye swollen shut and a smile that was missing a few teeth. They looked different, but the same. He took in Kagome's chocolate eyes, her raven hair and her pure smile, the smile that was so much like his young ward's but so different at the same time. Her smile grew as he took the cup from her, nodding his thanks in silence. She nodded in return, a silent response and went back to the fire to serve the others. He watched her closely now, suddenly aware of her femininity. The way her hair curled and framed her face. The curve of her waist and hips. The length of her legs and how very fragile she looked.

But there was strength there; he had to admit, if only in his own mind. He briefly remembered the tingle of her power as it ghosted over his skin, crackling in the air. Her muscles were toned and strong, not an ounce of fat where it didn't belong. But she was still soft, as a female should be. He watched them settle down for the night, pass around wishes of sweet dreams and all was silent. The humans and demon's fell asleep quickly. Only Sesshomaru and Inuyasha remained awake. He could feel his little brother's hateful glare from in the trees and he ignored it completely. He watched Kagome sleep and sighed softly in his head. Only one afternoon…. That's all it took for the Lord of the West to become obsessed with the enigma that was Kagome. Not that he'd ever admit it.


	2. Chapter 2

Morning came quickly, but Kagome felt surprisingly renewed. She was the first one to wake, as she was every morning. Usually, she grabbed her personal hygiene products and went to the nearest water source before starting breakfast for everyone. Today, however, she went straight to Rin's side. She spotted Sesshomaru watching her, having not moved from his spot under the tree. She nodded to him and smiled, as to not wake anyone around her, and was pleased when he nodded back. He watched her feel Rin's forehead and frown, and moved instantly to her side. "What is wrong?" he asked softly, so only she could hear him.

"She's got a fever. It means her body is fighting an infection." She pulled her first aid kit out of her bag and began to pull items out of it. A bottle of red liquid, a rag and a clear stick with a red substance inside it were set next to Rin's head as she looked at Sesshomaru. "I hate to ask, but can you get this cloth wet in the river and ring out the water? A cool cloth on her head will help. I going to give her this children's medicine to help with the fever and use this to see how hot she really is." She held up the thermometer and smiled and he nodded, taking the rag and disappearing quickly.

Inuyasha leapt from the tree and land next to Kagome, who barely managed to contain her yelp of surprise. "Inuyasha!" She hissed, swatting his arm. "Don't DO that to me! You nearly gave me a heart attack!"

He rolled his eyes and sat next to Rin's head. "Keh… So she's sick now?" he asked softly, nodding to the girl.

"She's got a fever. I'm glad I have some of this children's fever reducer I got for Shippo. I'd be afraid to give her the adult stuff; she's so small and already fighting for her life. This will help with any pain she might feel if she wakes up too." She smiled to Sesshomaru as he appeared at his side, handing her the cloth. She slipped the thermometer into her mother and watched the reading go her, her smile fading as it rose quickly. "She's too hot." She mumbled, throwing off the covers they had laid over her the night before. "Way too hot." She turned to Sesshomaru after leaning her upward to pour the medicine into her mouth. She swallowed it easily and did not stir from being moved. "We need to cool her off. If this doesn't help in the next hour, we need to take her to the river and cool her from the outside."

"Why does it matter if she is hot?" Sesshomaru asked, his eyebrow arching.

Kagome laid the rag on the girl's forehead and smoothed her hair as she spoke. "A human's body can't handle excessive heat. If the brain gets too hot, it will basically shut down." His eyes widened. "It takes a lot, much hotter than it can get in the summer time. So it's perfectly safe for her to play normally." She seemed to read his mind as she reassured his sudden fear. "But we do need to make sure that she cools off now. She's not in immediate danger, but if it doesn't go down soon, we need to take more drastic measures. I'm more worried about WHY she's has a fever now." She placed her hands over Rin and closed her eyes, her eyebrows knit together slightly. The soft pink glow returned and silence reigned.

Molten golden orbs met icy ones and the brother's glared at each other. Inuyasha hated that Kagome was so nice. Sure, he didn't mind Rin. She reminded him of what Kagome must have been like as a child. But Rin meant Sesshomaru. And he HATED Sesshomaru. He continued to stare until the rage boiled over. He growled and got up, stomping off a few feet and leaping off into the trees. Kagome opened one eye to watch him go, her pink glow wavering a bit. She sighed softly and closed her eye again, the glow returning to a steady and strong glow. Sesshomaru watched her face closely. He realized he had questions to ask her and it surprised him that he actually cared to get the answers. He decided that it was simply because she was different. And Sesshomaru was smart enough to know, knowledge is power. The day before, he worried that this girl was even less intelligent than his brother. Somehow today, he got the feeling that he hadn't given her enough credit. He was curious to see what she knew and the only way to know is to ask. He recalled his father once telling him when he was young "the difference between a victory and a loss is not the number of soldiers or even the difference in skill, but the ability to use those skills and soldiers better than your opponent. Learn everything and use everything you learn." If this girl had knowledge that could, at the very least, help him care for Rin, it was worth finding out.

Kagome could feel him watching her. It was starting to make her nervous. She was trying to take it slow today. Last night, she was just desperate to get the poor child stable. Now that she was, she was going over every body part slowly, sensing where there was damage and pouring her power over it like syrup. "Sesshomaru…" she murmured softly. "This could take a few days. How she survived this, I do not know." Her eyes never opened, but she hoped he would relax a bit. It was almost as bad as Inuyasha's constant whining!

"Hnn."

She fought back a smirk at his normal reply, feeling him move to her side and sit. _So much for him relaxing._ She could hear her companions waking behind her, going about their morning in silence as to not disturb her. She thanked the Kami's for her friends at that moment, wondering why Inuyasha couldn't be like them. Then she remembered his past and conceded, knowing that if she had suffered as he had for as long as he had, she'd probably be the same way.

Kagome and Sesshomaru sat in silence for hours, she ignoring her body complaining about hunger and a need to use a bathroom and he trying to ignore his desire to ask her all the questions burning in his mind. She managed to do a complete once over on Rin's body before beginning to feel drained. Her fever was down and Kagome smiled as she felt her heart beating strong. "I think she's going to make it." Everyone in camp looked at her, the first real sentence spoken aloud all day.

"You think so Kagome?" Shippo asked as the pink faded from her hands. He hopped onto her shoulder, looking down at Rin.

Smiling she nodded, looking at the girl's face. "It might not take me as long as I thought. In fact, she might be waking up soon, I think." Kagome stood, stretching and clapping her hands together. "Well, I have a few things I need to tend to. Is Inuyasha back yet?"

"Nope, haven't seen him." Sango said, eyeing the monk who scooted closer to her and smiled innocently.

"Maybe I'll go looking in a few minutes." Kagome mumbled to herself, grabbing her supplies and walking toward the river.

Sesshomaru extended his senses and held back a smirk. His half brother was a long way off, nowhere near close enough for the Miko to wander by herself. And someone had to stay with Rin. It looked like the perfect chance to question the Miko. When she came back, he gave her time to eat. When she rose to leave in search Inuyasha, he stood as well. She looked at him questioningly and he stared back. "I will not permit you to walk in the forest alone when you have yet to finish healing Rin." He said, narrowing his eyes as she rolled her own.

"Oh yeah, Inuyasha will LOVE me bringing you along." She muttered, walking into the forest. He followed behind her, allowing himself a small smirk that no one could see.

As she stalked ahead, Sesshomaru tried to decide on what to ask about first. "Miko. How do you know so much about treating ailments?" he asked suddenly. Kagome almost tripped over herself.

"Uh, I learned about it in school, that's where they teach lessons about many subjects. History, reading, writing… In my, um, village, all children are educated from a young age." She slowed her progress and fell into step beside him.

"Even the females?" he asked, a hint of shock in his voice. So she WAS educated.

She nodded and smiled. "Females can do anything males can. So why can't we be educated as such?"

"Hnn." He thought absent-mindedly about having her tutor Rin. If females were being educated, he would be sure that Rin was ahead of them all, or at least as knowledgeable as the smartest male.

He was silent for a moment before looking at her again. "If you are educated, why do you stay with my idiot half brother?"

Kagome did trip this time, gasping softly when she felt a very strong arm around her waist. He pulled her upright and quirked an eyebrow, his face perfectly impassive. His self control was legendary, after all, and it did not fail him now. Kagome had no idea the internal struggle the simple touch had started. His heart skipped a beat and he had the insane desire to pull her close and never let go. He was shocked by the idea and then annoyed that it happened. He shook it off and ignored it. After all, if the great Lord Sesshomaru decided something didn't happen, it didn't. Right? He was so distracted, he almost missed her answer. Almost.

"Because he's my friend." She huffed as she pulled away from him, her eyes narrow and her face flushed. "You know, I know you two hate each other, but you're both at fault. You both act like immature children." She suddenly remembered WHO she was speaking to and a deep growl sounded next to her. She gasped as he backed her against a tree, holding her there with a soft, yet firm hand around her neck.

"This Sesshomaru is NOT a pup, immature or otherwise. Never compare this Sesshomaru to that insolent whelp again." His voice threatened death in every syllable. He watched as, for the first time since he arrived, there was fear in her eyes. A sour feeling took hold of his stomach and he suddenly realized that he didn't want this female to fear him. She watched his eyes go from furious, to almost apologetic, before glazing over a bit and looking annoyed as he released her. _Why should this woman matter? This HUMAN woman?_ He looked at her and sighed in his mind. She hadn't moved from the tree, staring at him with a mixture of curiosity and fear. _She is… An acceptable ally._ "How are Inuyasha's issues at all this Sesshomaru's fault?"

Kagome was silent for a moment before moving toward him and away from the tree. "You want my honest response? Or will you throw me against a tree?" She looked cautiously defiant and he almost smirked. She was strong willed. She had to be around Inuyasha.

"This Sesshomaru should not have done that. It will not happen again." She eyed him, her eyebrow arching like his own tended to. "I give you my word."

She smiled widely at that. If Sesshomaru was anything, it was a man of his word. "Well, you've never tried to make peace. He's not the only one throwing insults or punches. Maybe if he had some old brother guidance growing up, he wouldn't be so… Rough around the edges."

He couldn't help himself. He snorted. Kagome stopped walking in surprise, a smile sneaking on to her face. "Our father abandoned my mother for that human woman. I was raised as an heir. Inuyasha was raised as a son. And then he died to protect that whelp and his mother and she died anyway. And he became a careless idiot and Father's death was for nothing."

Her smiled faded, his words distracting her from his momentary lack of composure. "But none of that is Inuyasha's fault." She continued even though he growled at her words. "That was your father's fault and Fate, and he was a baby, rigHe couldn't do anything. And he grew up alone, what do you expect?"

"He treats you badly."

Kagome blinked at the change of subject. "He doesn't treat me badly. He just… He has a hard time with relationships."

"Hnn." She said nothing, only continued walking. She was lost in thought.

"Why are you even allowing me to talk to you like this?" she suddenly asked as she stopped walking and looked at him.

 _If only this Sesshomaru knew…_ "You are an acceptable ally." He pointed toward her right. "He is over there. This Sesshomaru shall wait here."

Kagome only looked at him for a moment, before turning and entering the clump of forest he had pointed to. She was glad he was staying put; dealing with the moody hanyou was sometimes hard enough without him being angry at his brother's presence as well.


End file.
